Packing case



Jan. 10, 1956 c. A. FRICK PACKING CASE Filed March 10, 1951 We 9 V n m Wz 4 m r w Z 47 aw w A i a B7 9, M 2 1, .2 a 2 H z f A/WXYMWK W z 4, up,A $1 4. 0 r1 CU M/ F 06M 3 A rgoww 5 3 W I I 2 0 handling ortransportation. present invention is to provide a packing case that is.simple and inexpensive of construction and which can PACKING CASEChester A. Friclr, Glendale, Califl, assignor to Leo M. Harvey, LosAngeles, Calif.

'This invention has to do with a packing case and it is a general objectof the invention to provide a case construction particularly practicalfor the handling of various kinds in the course of A general object ofthe objects or articles of the used to advantage in the handling, say,for instance, the shipping, of elongate objects or articles such aslengths of material, either bars, tubes, special sections, etc.

Another object of this invention is to provide a packing case thatutilizes a limited quantity of material in the formation of a sturdy,rigid, durable case. With the construction provided by the presentinvention but few simple members are required and these members are socombined or related as to provide a construction that is rigid andstrong and practical for accommodating objects or materials in thecourse of shipping or other handling.

It is another object of the invention to provide a packing case of thegeneral character referred to in which the major parts or principalelements involved, and in particular the parts that are of appreciablesize, are employed without being mutilated, as by nail holes or thelike, and are left after use in a condition to be useful in other casesor for any desired purpose.

It is another object of the invention to provide a packing case whichcan, if desired, be used in the course of handling or shipment and thenreturned for re-use, the structure being such that the parts can bereturned in a knocked down or separated condition in which they occupybut little space and are very easily handled.

It is another object of the invention to provide a packing case of thegeneral character referred to that is light in weight, simple in form,and such that it can be easily handled both in the course of loading andunloading. The case provided by the present invention can be used tohandle objects or articles of various forms or types. However, since itis particularly practical for the handling of elongate objects orarticles such, for instance, as bars, tubes, pipes, rods, etc., it willbe described in that connection. In general the construction provided bythe invention includes two like side boards that may, in practice, besimple, elongate planks or boards of wood, or the like. Blocks areemployed in connection with the side boards and are employed in pairs,preferably a pair at each end of the assembled side boards. There may beone or more pairs of blocks employed between the pairs that occur at theends of the structure. The blocks space and brace the side boards sothat they are maintained parallel with each other, they hold the stopsor closures that occur between the side boards, and they confine andposition the objects or articles being handled in the case. Each blockinvolves a plate, preferably a board of wood, rectangular in form, withend portions that engage the edges of the side boards. The plates of theblocks extend between the side boards. Ribs of nitecl States Patentwood, or the like, are provided on the plates, preferably two on eachplate, and they extend transversely of the structure or between the sideboards, and have their ends abutting the inner sides of the boards. Theribs are preferably straight and parallel and are spaced apart as theyextend from one board to the other. Anchoring means may be employed toprevent slippage of the blocks lengthwise of the side boards and, inpractice, the anchoring means may vary widely in form and construction,as circumstances require.

Stops or closures employed in the construction are provided at the endsof the case so that they occur at the end portions of the boards andthey may, if desired, be located intermediate the end portions orwherever pairs of blocks occur. The stops are preferably plain, flat,rectangular boards of wood, or the like, corresponding in one dimensionwith the length of the ribs occurring on the blocks, and in the otherdirection with the height of the side boards. One or more closures canbe located at each pair of blocks, in which position they are confinedbetween the side boards and between the ribs of such blocks. Ties securethe above mentioned parts in assembled position and are preferably inthe form of bands or straps that are engaged around the assembly tooverlie the blocks and the boards where the blocks occur.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fullyunderstood from the following detailed description of typical preferredforms and applications of the invention, throughout which descriptionreference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a side board such as may be employed incarrying out the invention. Fig. 2 is a face or plan view of a stop orclosure that may be employed in carrying out the invention. Fig. 3 is aview of a block employed in carrying out the invention, showing itviewed from the inner side to show the ribs that occur on the plate ofthe block. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a packing case embodying theinvention, showing a pair of blocks flush with each end and with thecase loaded with elongate objects and provided intermediate the endswith a pair of blocks serving in addition to those that occur at the endportions of the case. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a caseembodying the present invention and pro portioned differently than thatshown in Fig. 4, and showing a pair of blocks at each end portion of thecase but spaced somewhat inward from the extreme ends of the sideboards. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a block as provided by theinvention, showing it viewed from the inner side to illustrate the ribformation. Fig. 7 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially asindicated by line 7 7 on Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional viewtaken in the direction indicated by line 88 on Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is anenlarged detailed sectional View taken as indicated by line 9-9 on Fig.8, and Fig. 10 is a detailed sectional view showing a form of anchoringmeans somewhat different than that illustrated in Fig. 9.

For the purpose of illustrating a typical form and application of theinvention I have shown it employed to carry a plurality of elongateobjects, namely, tubes. In a typical situation tubes are handled thatextend from one end of the case to the other, whereas, in othersituations the case may be provided with stops or closures intermediatethe ends of the case, in which case objects or elongate members, such aslengths of tubing, can be accommodated which are substantially shorterthan the case as a whole.

The construction provided by the present invention includes, generally,two like side boards A, blocks B preferably arranged in pairs andextending transversely of the case between the side boards to space andbrace the side boards to hold the closures or stops and toconfine andposition the contents of the case, such asthe tubes T. The

t ps o c o u es, C. are p ovided where. pairs. f. blocks occur, andthere may be a stop or closure at each pair of blocks or only atselected pairs of blocks, as circumstances require. In the caseillustrated in the drawings it may be considered that the tubes Textend.v substantially the entire length of the case, in which eventstops or closures C are provided only at the end. pairs of blocks. Theinvention provides ties D that are applied to and extend around thestructure at the end portions thereof or where blocks occur. Theconstruction provided by the present invention is incorporated in thestructure shown in Fig. 4 as well as in that shown in Fig. 5, and inthese two casesv the only difference is in the proportioning of theparts employed and inthe fact that in Fig. 4 the end pairs of blocks areat the extreme ends' of the side boards, whereas in Fig. 5 they arespaced inwardly slightly from the extreme ends of the boards. In view ofthe foregoing circumstances the following description applies equally tothe' structures shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

There are two side boards A that are preferably alike and each ispreferably a simple plain elongate board of wood with flat inner andouter sides and 11, respectively, and'fiat straight parallel upper andlower edges 13 and 14, respectively. The ends 15 of each board arepreferably straight and in a typical case they extend normal to thelongitudinal axis of the board.

The blocks Bemployed in carrying out the invention are alike and theyare used in pairs, it being preferred, ordinarily, to employ a pair ofblocks at each end portion of the case and,'if desired, one or morepairsof blocks intermediate the end portions of the case. In the situationillustrated in the drawings I provide a pair of end blocks at each endportion of the case and one pair of blocks about midway between the endsof the case. The blocks B serve primarily to space and brace the sideboards A so that they extend parallel with each other. The blocksfurther serve to hold the stops or closures C and may be employed tohold closures at the ends of the case and at any point where blocks areprovided intermediate the ends of the case. Further, the blocks serve toconfine objects or materials in the case and in the case of tubes T, orthe like, as shown in the drawings, the blocks cooperate with'the sideparts in defining a construction that completely surrounds the group oftubes.

Each block, as provided by the present invention, includes a main orbody portion in the form of a plate and ribs 21 on or projecting fromthe inner side 22 of the plate. The plate 20 in a typical case may be anelongate body or board of wood, rectangular in form, so that it hasparallel side edges 23 and ends 24 extending normal to the edges 23. Theplate is of such length that the end portions 25 of the inner side restor bear upon the longitudinal edges of the side boards A.

The ribs 21 provided on the plate 20 extend longitudinally of the plateand in a preferred form of the invention they are attached to andproject from the inner side 22' of the plate adjacent the longitudinaledges 23 so that they'extend longitudinally of the plate, are spacedapart, and are parallel with each other, as shown throughout thedrawings. In the preferred form of the invention the ends 28 of the ribsterminate short of the ends 24 of the plate so that when the block is inplace with the end portions 25 bearing on edges of the side boards, theribs engage between the edge portions of the side boards and thuspositively space the side boards apart. The ends 28 of the ribs arepreferably related to the ends 24 of the plate so that when the block isin place with the end portions 25 resting on the edges ofthe boards andthe ends 28 of the ribs engaging the inner sides 19 of the boards, theends 24 of the plate are just short of the outer sides 11 of the boards.In carrying out the invention the ribs 21 may be formed of strips ofwood, or the like, and they may be fixed or permanently fastened to theinner sides 22 of the plates 20 by nails 28 orlike fasteners.

In accordance with the proposed form of the invention an anchoring meansis provided toact between each block and the boards engaged thereby sothat the blocks do not slip or shift lengthwise of the boards. In somesituations the tie means D may be such as to so fasten or bind the partsthat slippage does not occur. However, to positively insure againstslippage I may employ the anchoring means which acts between the blocksand the side boards. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 10of the drawings the anchoring means involves one or more cleats 30acting between each block and one or both of the boards A. In a typicalsituation a cleat 20 is provided at each end portion 25 of each blockand a typical cleat, as shown in Fig. 9, may involve an elongate strip31 of metal with teeth 32 projecting therefrom to embed themselves intothe plate 20 from the inner side 22 and with teeth 33 projectingtherefrom to embed themselves into the edge of the board engaged withthat portion of the plate. This particular type of cleat or fastener maybe such as to be permanently fastened or applied to the plate 20 of theblock and the teeth 33 provided to. engage the board may be such as topenetrate the board only enough to provide the desired grip between theblock and the board.

In the form of anchoring means illustrated in Fig. 10 of the drawings aclip or member 30* is provided with a tooth 32 projecting in onedirection to engage in the plate of the block, and a tooth 33*projecting in the opposite direction to engage in the board engaged bythe block. It will be apparent from the drawings that anchoring meansother than those mentioned may be employed, if desired. For example, theend portions of the plates included in the blocks may be nailed to theedges of the boards, if circumstances so require. Such nailing has notbeen illustrated in the drawings as it is ordinarily not required and inmost cases is undesirable.

In mostapplications of the invention stops or closures are provided atthe ends of the case. However, if desired or if the character ofmaterial being handled by the case so requires, additional stops may beincorporated in the case intermediate the end portions thereof, orwherever a pair of blocks'B occurs. Each stop is preferably a plain fiatrectangular board corresponding in one dimension with the length of theribs 21 occurring on the blocks and in the other direction with thewidth of the boards, that is, with the space that occurs between theedges 13 and 14 of the boards. A stop orclosure C is in place at andextends between the inner sides 10 of the boards and between the twoplates 20 of a pair of blocks and it is located so that the edgeportions that engage or which oppose the blocks occur between the ribs21 of the blocks. Through this construction the closures or stopseffectively brace the entirercase. construction against racking, theycooperate with the ribs in positively spacing the boards A apart, andthey are stopped against longitudinal displacement bythe ribs of theblocks. In a typical situation the ends 40 of the tubes T or otherarticles in the case may so approach or, engage the stops at the ends ofthe case as to positively hold them against the outermost ribs occurringon the blocks at the end portions of the case, as shown in Fig. 7 of thedrawings. In assembling the parts to gain a relationshipsuch as I havejust referred to the boards may beinitially established so that they areof such length as to cause the blocks at the ends of the case to beflush with the ends of the boards, as shown in Fig. 4, or the boards Amay be of somewhat greater length than is required, in which. case theend blocks may be finally set or established somewhat inwardly of theextreme ends 15 ofthe boards, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. As aresult of thisconstruction it is a simple matter to so assemble theparts as'to relate the end stops to tubes T, or the like, in the caseftoconfine the tubes against shifting, without the necessity of havingaccuratecase.

and somewhat into the corners 56 of the ly cut the main longitudinalmembers or boards A as is ordinarily the case in box construction.

The ties D that I have provided engage around the assembly of partshereinabove described and one or more ties D may be provided around theentire structure at each pair of blocks. In the drawings I illustratetwo ties D around each pair of blocks occurring at the end portions ofthe case, while a single tie D is engaged around the pair of blocksshown intermediate the ends of the In practice the ties are preferablymetal ties that engage completely around the assembled parts abovedescribed, and in practice it is advantageous to employ metal bands orstraps 50 that can be engaged tightly around the structure to be madefast by suitable clips 51. When this type of tie D is employed it ispreferably applied tightly around the assembly of parts so that the band50 embeds itself into the corners 55 of the blocks side parts A. Byterminating the ends 24 of the plates 20 short of the outer sides 11 ofthe boards the bands 50, when made tight, will seat or embed themselvessomewhat into the corners 55 of the blocks and also somewhat into thecorner 56 of the boards, thereby locking the tied blocks againstshifting lengthwise of the boards. In some instances this locking of theblocks against shifting relative to the boards may be all that isnecessary, in which event anchoring means such as I have described aboveneed not be used.

In practice the elements or parts necessary to form the case may beprovided at the location where the material is to be packed or cased,and if desired suitable forms or jigs may be established to facilitateassembly and filling of the case. When a case provided by the inventionis established around a body of material such as a group of tubes T, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the tubes are effectivelyconfined against shifting lengthwise in the case, they are positivelyconfined between the side boards A, and they are likewise positivelyconfined between the blocks that occur at the two edges of the sideboards. The ribs provided on the plates of the blocks project in fromthe longitudinal edges 13 and 14 of the boards A and thus keep the tubesT spaced inward somewhat from the edges 13 and 14, so that they are atall times effectively guarded or protected against injury. When it isdesired to release material from the case it is merely necessary to cutor remove the ties D. This operation releases the parts so that they arefree and enables the contents of the case to be removed without anyfurther difficulty.

From the foregoing description it is to be observed that the case that Ihave provided involves few, simple, inexpensive parts, it involves alimited amount of material, and it is light and convenient to handle.Furthermore, it is to be observed that the blocks B and closures C arethe only major or wooden parts that need to be of special construction,since the boards A can be simple plain boards of conventionaldimensions. In practice the boards A can be retrieved after the case hasbeen used for the purpose of being incorporated in other or additionalcases, or they can be used for any purpose for which they may besuitable. It is significant in this connection to observe that theboards, after use, are without nail holes and unless the case has beenabused they will not be disfigured nor in any way damaged. If it isdesired to reemploy the case, as, for instance, at the point at which itwas originally loaded, the parts can be easily returned in a compact orknocked-down form. Further, it is to be noted that with the constructionthat I have provided a wide variety of cases can be readily constructedby providing a stock of boards A of varying dimensions, for instance, ofdifferent widths, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or of different lengths,and by providing blocks B and closures C of varying dimensions.

Having described only typical preferred forms and applications of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specificdetails herein set forth, but wisli to reserve to myself any variationsor modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fallwithin the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An elongate case including, two elongate like unitary side boardswith opposed faces and longitudinal edges and extending longitudinallyof the case, a plurality of like blocks spaced apart relative to eachother and arranged in pairs spaced apart longitudinally of the boardsand extending transversely of the case and between the boards spacingthem apart and having portions bearing on the edges of the boards,closures each located between the boards and between the blocks of apair thereof, and ties around and holding the assembled boards andblocks where each pair of blocks occurs, each block having spaced ribsextending between the. boards. with their ends engaging the faces of theboards and the closures being confined between the ribs of the blockswith which they are related.

2. An elongate case including, two elongate like side boards withopposed faces and longitudinal edges and.

extending longitudinally of the case, a purality of spaced like blocksin pairs spaced apart case, and extending transversely of of the boardsand spaced ribs fixed on the plate engaged. with and extending betweenthe said faces of the boards, closures each located between the boardsand confined between the ribs of the blocks of a pair thereof, and tiesextending continuously around and engaging and holding the combinedboards and blocks.

3. An elongate object carrying case including, two like spaced parallelelongate boards extending longitudinally r of the case and havingopposed object-confining inner sides and longitudinal edges, a pluralityof like spaced blocks arranged in pairs confined to the end portions ofthe case, each block including a plate with end portions bearing on theedges of the boards and spaced object-confining ribs fixed to the plateand engaging and extending between the said sides of the boards,closures each extending between the boards and between the blocks of apair thereof and confined between the ribs of such pair of blocks, andties extending continuously around the end portions of the case holdingthe boards, blocks and closures assembled, the closures being adapted toconfine objects in the case against movement lengthwise thereof.

4. An elongate object-carrying case including, two like spaced parallelelongate boards extending lengthwise of the case and having opposedobject-confining inner sides and longitudinal edges, a plurality of likespaced blocks arranged in pairs spaced apart lengthwise of the case andconfined to the end portions of the case, each block including a platewith end portions bearing on the edges of the boards and spacedobject-confining ribs engaging and extending between the said sides ofthe boards, closures each extending between the boards and between theblocks of a pair and confined between the ribs of such pair of blocks,and ties extending continuously around the end portions of the caseholding the boards, blocks and closures assembled, the ties being thesole means of securing the boards and blocks together.

5. An elongate object-carrying case including, two like spaced parallelelongate boards extending longitudinally of the case and having opposedobject-confining inner sides and longitudinal edges, a plurality of likespaced blocks arranged in pairs spaced apart and located at the ends ofthe case, each block including a plate with end portions bearing on theedges of the boards and spaced object-confining ribs fixed to the plateand engaging and extending between said sides of the boards and spacingthe boards apart, closures each extending between the boards and betweenthe blocks of a pair and confined between the ribs of such pair ofblocks, and ties extending longitudinally of the; the case, each block,having a plate with end portions bearing on the edges;

wag-late;

continuouslyaro n t es -7nd por o UM- Inkl n theboards, blocks andclosures assembled, the v ties being embeddedin-theend portions of theblocks.

6. An elongate object-carryingcase including, two like spaced parallelelongate boards extending longitudinally of the caseand havingopposedobject-confining inner sides andlongitudinalvedges, a plurality of likespaced blocks arranged in pairs spaced apart and located at the ends of.the case,.each block including a plate with end portions bearingon theedges of the boards and spaced object-confining ribsfixed to the plateand engaging and extending betweensaid sides of the boards and spacingthe boards apart, closures eachextending betweenthe boards and betweenthe blocksof a pair 'and confined,

between the ribs of such pair of blocks, and ties extendingcontinuouslyaround the end portions of the case holding the boards,blocks and closures assembled, the ties being embedded in the endportions of the blocks and in the edge portions of the boards where theblocks occur.

7. An elongate object-carrying case including, two like spaced parallelelongate boards extending longitudinally of the case and having opposedobject-confining inner sides andlongi't'udinal edges, a plurality oflike spaced blocks in spaced pairs one :at each end of the case, eachblock including a plate with end portions bearing on the edges of theboards and spaced object-confining ribs engaging and extending betweenthe inner sides of the boards and'spacing the boards apart, closureseach extending between the boards and between the blocks of a pair andconfined between the ribs of such pair of blocks, anchoring meansstopping movement of the blocks lengthwise of the boards, andtiesextending continuously around the end portions of the case holdingthe boards, blocks and closures assembled.

8. An elongate object-carrying case including, two like spaced parallelelongate boards with opposed object-confining inner sides andlongitudinal edges, a plurality of like spaced blocksin spaced pairs oneat each end of the case, each block including a plate with end portionsbe'aring'on the edges 'of th'. boards and spaced objectconfining ribsengagingithe inne'r'sides of the boards and eit e nding betweenandspacing the boards apart, closures each exten ding betweenftheboardsand between the blocks of a pair and confinedbetween the ribs ofsuch pair of blocks, anchoring means stopping movement of the blockslengthwise of the boards, and ties around the end portions of thecaseholdingtheboards, blocks and closures assembled, the ties beingembedded in the end portions of the blocks andin the edge portions ofthe boards where the blocks occur.

9. A case including, two elongate like side boards with opposed sidesand longitudinal edges, a plurality of like spaced blocks engagedwiththe boards, the blocks being in pairs spaced apart longitudinally ofthe boards, each block having a plate with end portions bearing on theedges of the boards and spaced ribs on the plate engaging and extendingbetween the opposed sides of the boards and spacing the boards apart,toothed members between the end portions of the plates and the edges ofthe boards checking movement of the blocks lengthwise of the boards,closures located betweenthe boards with portions confined between theribs of the blocks, and ties around the combined boards and blocks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

